SPJ Oregon statement on arrest of JPR reporter April Ehrlich

Note: April Ehrlich is the vice president of the board for the Greater Oregon Society of Professional Journalists chapter. She provided information to other board members about her arrest, but did not participate in the writing, editing or approval of this statement, or read it prior to publication.

On Sept. 22, Medford police arrested Jefferson Public Radio reporter and SPJ Oregon Vice President April Ehrlich while Ehrlich was reporting on a homeless camp sweep at a local public park.

According to a statement from JPR, April was at Hawthorne Park interviewing people camping there before police began their sweep. Police attempted to direct her and other reporters to a “staging area” outside the park as they began the sweep. According to JPR, “it was not possible to adequately see or hear interactions between police officers and campers, or gather audio” from the staging area. Without interfering with police actions, Ehrlich continued her work as a reporter documenting the sweep.

Medford police arrested Ehrlich on charges of criminal trespassing, interfering with a peace officer and resisting arrest.

We condemn this arrest in the strongest possible terms.

Requiring journalists to work from a government-approved staging area where they are unable to observe police actions or talk to people in a public park falls far short of the right of press freedom enshrined in the First Amendment. Journalists should not face arrest for simply doing their jobs, which include observing the conduct of public officials and law enforcement officers in public places and reporting those actions to the communities they serve.

Arresting journalists seeking to document law enforcement interactions with the public has a chilling effect on a free press. Professional journalists are trained to be observers and to document events without interfering — there is no need to preemptively move them to a staging area, much less arrest them in a public park. 

We call on the City of Medford to immediately drop all criminal charges against Ehrlich. We ask the city and Medford Police Department to review the actions that led up to this arrest and ensure officers are trained not to interfere with journalists doing their jobs.

—Rachel Alexander, SPJ Oregon President

Camilla Mortensen, SPJ Oregon Secretary

Katy Sword, SPJ Oregon Treasurer

Nick Budnick, SPJ Oregon Freedom of Information Chair

Chas Hundley, SPJ Oregon board member

Jody Lawrence-Turner, SPJ Oregon board member

Caitlyn May, SPJ Oregon board member